'Simply magical': Korean producer Shin Chun-soo hopes 'The Great Gatsby' will be Broadway success

Music & Performance

Published: 31 Jan. 2024, 14:44 Updated: 31 Jan. 2024, 15:51

'Simply magical': Korean producer Shin Chun-soo hopes 'The Great Gatsby' will be Broadway success

Musical producer Shin Chun-soo talks to the Korea JoongAng Daily at OD Company's office in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 26. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Musical producer Shin Chun-soo, 57, is often compared to the eponymous Don Quixote of the famous 1600s Spanish epic.

With dreams and visions far ahead of his time, the tragicomic character’s quality has boded mostly well for Shin domestically, introducing new musical genres to local audiences and achieving record-breaking ticket sales and performance numbers.

Abroad, however, Shin has been less lucky. He worked as a Broadway producer for “Dream Girls” in 2009, “Holler if Ya Hear Me” in 2014 and “Doctor Zhivago” in 2015 — none of which were particularly successful. This time around, however, he is more than hopeful that “The Great Gatsby” will be different, even setting his sights on possible Tony nominations.

“I believe we are going on the Broadway street with a very competitive show,” Shin told the Korea JoongAng Daily in an interview in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Friday. “I am nervous but also very excited.”

A scene from OD Company's "The Great Gatsby" starring Jeremy Jordan, left, and Eva Noblezada at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey [OD COMPANY]

The musical first premiered at the regional Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, in October and is now bound for the 1,761-seat Broadway Theater on April 25 with previews starting on March 29. Broadway favorites Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada star as Jay Gatsby and his lover Daisy Buchanan.

Some may ask the Korean producer, why “The Great Gatsby”? To Shin, the great American capitalist story was a chance to produce the ultimate show of his dreams: a timeless classic on Broadway.

“Ever since it was announced that the book would become public domain, I have been planning the musical,” he said. “It’s just such a great source material for a musical, so the decision [to produce ‘Gatsby’] was almost automatic.”

Though there is another “Gatsby” production on the way later this year, and possibly more in the talks, Shin isn’t too intimated.

“It would certainly be very interesting if there were two ‘Gatsby’ productions playing on Broadway!”

Musical producer Shin Chun-soo [PARK SANG-MOON]

“The Great Gatsby” is also just the beginning for Shin, who leads local musical production company OD Company and has an eclectic portfolio of musicals that go beyond book and movie adaptations.

OD Company has produced dozens of shows across many genres, including new musicals with stories close to home. The most recent and arguably the most impressive addition to its list is the ongoing “Il Tenore.” The book, by Will Aronson and Hue Park, is about the tragedy of young, passionate individuals during the Japanese colonial period (1910-45), inspired by Korea's first-ever Italian opera and the country’s pioneering tenor Lee In-seon (1906-60).

“All of the shows that we produce at OD Company are made with Broadway or West End in mind,” Shin said. “What I ultimately strive to stage every time are shows of quality, both artistically and technically.”

Casting poster for the musical "The Great Gatsby" [OD COMPANY]

Behind Shin’s ambitions to make it big on Broadway is a sense of responsibility to pave the way for the future of Korean musicals.

“As a veteran producer in Korea, I feel it is my responsibility to open up more opportunities abroad for up-and-coming musical creatives, producers and actors in Korea,” he said. “With more Koreans taking part in productions abroad, K-musicals can have a brighter future.”

The following are edited excerpts from the Korea JoongAng Daily’s interview with Shin.

Q. What was it about “The Great Gatsby” that made you want to make it into a musical?

A. I’ve always been dedicated to producing musicals based on literature. So as soon as I heard the news that “The Great Gatsby” was to become public domain, I jumped at the opportunity and have been planning this musical since.

I also believe this is a relevant story today. Just like the 1920s, we are living in a world that is constantly changing. It was also a time of material civilization, which is quite similar to today’s society and its views on material wealth.

Granted, it does not go in-depth about the novel’s underlying tone and theme about American culture. After much contemplation and hours of reading essays and research papers about the book, I decided to focus on the enigmatic and charismatic character of Gatsby and deliver a more universal message of the American Dream.

There is word of other “The Great Gatsby” musicals slated to come out, as early as May this year. How do you feel about that?

It is a very rare event when two different musical productions based on the same source may simultaneously be staged, and maybe staged on Broadway together even. It’s happened before, however, with the musical “The Wild Party” [based on Joseph Moncure March’s 1928 poem of the same title, in 2000].

Taking on such a famous story was certainly a risk and a challenge. I will say, though, that we were first!

It is the first time for a Korean to be behind a Broadway musical as the lead producer. How did you do it?

This is really the reason OD Company was founded in the first place. Ever since 2001, our goal has been to produce shows on Broadway. We’ve certainly had our share of failures, but through them, I have been able to learn and build networks in New York, which have helped make “Gatsby.”

What were industry professionals' reactions on Broadway when you told them about “The Great Gatsby”?

It has been nine years since I last produced a show on Broadway. When I returned, they welcomed me with open arms and genuinely congratulated my comeback. I was very touched.

What does staging shows on Broadway mean to you?

It has always been my dream to make a timeless show, loved by many people for a long time. And for that to be possible, I believe it has to be staged on Broadway or West End.

As a veteran producer in Korea, I also feel it is my responsibility to open up more opportunities abroad for up-and-coming musical creatives, producers and actors in Korea. K-musicals in my opinion are musicals where any one Korean producer, director, writer, composer or actor participates to play a major part in a production. K-musicals, however, should not be confused with simply promoting gukbbong [national pride].

How did your love for musicals start, and why do you love musicals to this day?

My original dream was a movie director, though I never actually got to fully realize this dream since foraying into musical theater. It was meant to be sort of a break from moviemaking, but then I fell in love with the musical world and began to dream a new dream of making a musical with my name on it.

To this day, I love musicals because of the magic that beholds the theater every night during a show. In every direction you look, whether it be on stage, behind the stage or in the audience, the whole scene of putting on a show and showcasing it to the audience is simply magical. As a producer, I feel it is my privilege and responsibility to create and sustain this magical moment for everybody involved.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]